Like Father, Unlike Daughter
by Rednecks 'n Angels
Summary: Lady' Jowen Tzu grows bored with her position and soon turns to fighting unknown to her father. He then asks her to help the guard deliver very important documents. He hires a certain silver-haired masked shinobi to ensure her, and the document's safety.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Okay. Unfortunately we don't own Naruto or Kakashi or any of those characters. But we do own Jowen. She's all ours :)

Anyways Enjoy!

---- Chapter 1 ----

I smoothed my skirt, once again. This time I stared down at my large hands and shifted impatiently within the small confines of my transportation. I couldn't wait until we were out of the city and I could drop this guise of being a lady, and slip among the guard once again. Still, while I was still under my father's watchful eye, I would please him and at least pretend that I was a lady. I didn't want to bring shame to him again.

My name, was Lady Jowen Tzu. I'm not a lady, never have been. I was born to this curse, being told how to stand, how to walk, when all I wanted to do was run and fight like the guard. Like a shinobi. Unfortunately, my wild dreams brought shame to my father when I fled from him. I cannot do that again. So here I sit, uncomfortable and hot waiting in a small wooden compartment to be carried off somewhere to make a visit with one of his friends.

This life disgusted me, but by now the guard were my friends. When we got out of the city, they would allow me to dress up as one of them and carry the wooden box empty. My freedom would already be here if it wasn't for the threats father had been receiving. Unfortunately, someone got it into their head that they would kidnap me, and so father's been receiving warning from his intelligence as well as from the person themselves. So, my dearest father, misguided though he was hired a ninja to escort me over to this estate.

So, here I was, sitting in this stuffy wooden cage waiting for some half-rate, kunai-flinging, headband-wearing idiot to tell me what to do. I can take care of myself perfectly fine when I'm with the guard. In fact, I've helped them fend off _several_ assassination or kidnapping attempts! Ugh, and who was this guy to make me wait anyways? He was probably full of self-importance and would jump at shadows. I just hoped I could slip out and join the guard when we left.

As one of the guard, everyone called me Jo, and treated me just like they would one of their own. Between me sneaking out all the time, and them hanging around me, these people practically raised me. They knew a lot more about what'd make me happy than my father ever could. Not that he paid much attention other than making sure I wasn't disgracing him by running around in pants or anything. I had to keep all my _decent_ clothes in another room since he started checking my closet every week!

This stuff was hot. Where was that idiot anyways? I looked up at the sound of voices, and cursed the rice-paper shielding me from view. I couldn't see anything in this! The guards' call sounded and I was lifted up. As we started moving, the contraption swayed side to side with the guards' steps it was called a litter. How absolute appropriate for something that should only litter the ground, and stay there broken and forgotten.

As much as it annoyed me, I was used to this, and kept perfectly still to make sure my transport wasn't hard on my friends. I wasn't a light girl anymore. I had grown a lot taller and muscular. Father said it wouldn't do to have such a 'masculine' daughter. He believes I should be this frail little weak thing, and has even offered to set me up with a dietician so I could slim down. As much as I loved him, his obsession with appearance was no use. I trained in secret to become the best warrior I could, and vowed to prove to him that I could make him proud of me even if I was a girl.

The swaying continued, and I attempted to read the scroll in front of me. It was some legend or other. I was researching them, because I liked our history. Also, because it was the only thing father let me read since I got into the warrior scrolls and started practicing what I read.

I sighed; I guess I'd given him quite a bit of trouble.

"Why are we stopping?" I heard an unfamiliar voice ask. The sound wasn't particularly deep, but was definitely male. It sounded calculating, intelligent even. I was gently set down, and I heard the river. Perfect. I could finally shed these annoying garments. I ignored what the guards were saying, and slipped out the hatch. Hiding in the bushes, the sound of the river concealed my steps. I changed, and rejoined the group, nodding slightly to the head guard.

He winked at me, and hailed to move out. Suddenly, I found myself slammed against a tree, knife at my throat. A single silver eye stared at me, face covered by a mask.

"Who are you and why are you here?" he demanded. A bandanna covered his left eye, marked with the sign of a leaf. A leaf ninja, so this must be who father hired!

"What do you mean? I've been here the whole time!"

"No you haven't." he pressed the knife tighter against my throat, "You slipped in while we took a break. Let's try this again. Who are you and why are you here?"

...

So. That's the first chapter. If you liked it then Review! Just so we know you want us to continue it. And just cause I'm slightly evil we probably won't update till we got 3 reviews. Come one. It's not that many!

-Jowen & Arramel


	2. Chapter 2

Hey since I decided to be nice I'm putting up the second chapter. :P And since I'm going camping this weekend so I wont be adding any chapters :P

Anyways. Like usual I didn't write this. I just help with the story line. So I guess we kind of co-wrote it... But whatver.

No I dont own Naruto.

Enjoy!

---- Chapter 2 ----

"Set Jo down!" called the head guard, Rowan, setting a hand on his shoulder. My heart was pounding, but I was sure, now that he was distracted if I . . .

I got my knee up into his chest by having slipped slowly while he was questioning me, and with a careful bit of pressure, there. I pushed on his diaphragm, knocking him back, and slipped into the trees. He wasn't getting the one up on me again. My father hired him, so if he found out he'd be obligated to tell him, my guard would be changed and I would never get this freedom again. I'd have to sneak it like I used to. I couldn't let him do that to me.

He was gone from the clearing. I scanned it carefully, not moving at all. Barely even breathing. I had read too much to let it go to waste. This man was an enemy now. An enemy of my freedom, and of my dream. My hand touched the knife at my waist, and I scanned the clearing once more. He didn't seem to be there. Silence crept over the forest, the birds above my head had stopped chirping. There.

I dashed backwards as one of his knives flew down from above, and tossed mine straight at him. He swiped it from the air, and sent it back to me, hurtling faster than I could possibly dodge. Checkmate. I thought bitterly.

Rowan threw himself in front of me, and the knife deflected uselessly off his armour. He glared at the ninja, challenging him.

"I asked you to leave Jo alone."

"Who is this 'Jo'? How do I know she's not a threat? She appeared mysteriously after a 'scheduled' stop at the river. Are you in this together?" the man sound slightly bored, but returned the challenge with a hint of scorn in his voice.

"No! It's nothing like that! Any one of the guard would vouch for her in a heartbeat!"

"Is that so? It's a wonder the girl has survived this long with such an irresponsible lot looking after her, letting people slip in under the guise of being in the guard. This girl's training is too patch-work for that. She's not drilled militarily, she's incorporated more than just the military's staple into her fighting." Rowan shrugged,

"So she's special. Leave her be."

"Not until I know why she's here." he stated, suddenly beside me, forcing my chin up. His knife was still in his hand, and it would be too obvious if I reached for mine. He was so close. If he would only move just a little closer I could sneak one of his knives out of the pouch on his back.

The man was spinning the blade carelessly, and I started at his face, pretending not to watch it. One more turn and . . . now! My hand shot out and snatched the blade from his fingertip, pushing his hand from my face, and crouched down ready for battle. Something beneath the mask moved in what seemed like a smirk. He readied his blade, and prepared to fight me.

"Stop!" Rowan exclaimed, holding him back with his arm. "She is not your concern!"

"She is my every concern. Every single one of you checks out except her. The Lord is not aware that there is one extra person along, and therefore they are a threat and possibly a spy. She could be passing along information."

"Jo would never spy on the lady!"

"How can you be sure?" Rowan looked at me, and hesitated. Then he hung his head, and knelt.

"Milady, forgive me. I have failed to protect your identity."

" 'Milady'?" the ninja asked, suddenly puzzled. I noticed how his grey-sliver eye displayed his emotions so beautifully. The light caught it and almost made it sparkle. I blinked, woah what happened? Get you mind on track girl! Rowan's telling this man who you are!!!

"Jo is . . ." he began

"That's enough Rowan. Stand down." I spoke up, relaxing slightly from my battle crouch. "I'll take it from here."

"Very good milady."

"Stop that! You know it bugs me." I snapped with a touch of annoyance. "But can we continue this conversation out of the trees and on the move? I'm not comfortable here."

"Right! Mi-Jo." Rowan glanced at the ninja and winked at me. What was he . . ? But I blushed anyways, realizing he what he meant far too soon. I hadn't really noticed, but that guy looked pretty fine. His muscles were finely chiseled from what seemed years of experience. Still, I wasn't going to let an amazing eye and a hot body deter me from . . . what am I thinking? He's not going to distract me! I forced my brain back onto the right path. How to explain this. When we started moving again, and the litter was being carried, I matched my steps with his, and begun my explanation.

"Father, well, he wants me to be a perfect lady. Someone with no mind of her own who's frail, and faints at the thought of danger, and is just a simple ornament with no intelligence at all. I can't do that, not even for him. It goes against everything I am" inwardly I was fuming. Why did I have to explain myself like this? "The guards practically raised me. They know my dream, and they help me by finding me freedom whenever they can. On outings like this, a mannequin sits in the litter, and I walk as Rowan's assistant. It helps with security since no one would expect someone like me to be the lady, and definitely wouldn't expect me to put myself in danger, or the guards to let me be in danger! I've fought off several kidnapping attempts on myself as one of the guards. If they ever did run off with the girl inside, they'd find themselves carrying a dummy while I was perfectly safe. I study fighting watching every demonstration father brings in. Fighting's his hobby. He likes to see foreign styles, and collects them if you will. So I watch them train, document it, and then repeat it myself."

"Interesting . . ." was all he said.

"What's your name?" I demanded. 'Interesting'??? I tell him my secret, and all he can say is interesting? The nerve of that guy. I looked up, and just noticed a mass of silvery-white hair exploding from above his bandanna. I was momentarily distracted and amazed by how it stood up without falling.

"Kakashi Hatake." he responded, scratching his head.

"Well Kakashi-san, are you going to tell my father?" my tone was ice and I stopped, challenging him. He turned to me his eye now unreadable. I normally could read facial expressions, but due to the mask, I was lost. And his eye was closed to me, no longer could I fall into – wait, what am I thinking? Ugh. This again.

"Why would I do that?"

"You work for him now."

...

So thats it for this week. I have an exam on monday... Math... Wish me luck! :P

Please review! Me and Arramel would really love it to know how you think the story is ^_^

-Jowen & Arramel


	3. Chapter 3

**Your all lucky I'm so impatient... -.-' Arramel keeps telling me that I need to calm down because the story has only been up for a week but they're has been 43 hits. Come on guys! Be nice! Your ignoring my plea's for reviews makes me sad :( But someone has done one of those story alert things so I'm pretty happy about that :P Anyways. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah still dont own Naruto. But Jowen is ours. Steal her and I'll eat you. Just kidding... kind of...**

---- Chapter 3 ----

"I serve the Leaf Village, and none other. I'm on this mission because the village asked me to. Not for your father or anyone else. Which brings me to something I want to ask you. Why did they order a jounin for this mission? I'm sure even one of our most beginner ninja could've escorted you with little difficulty!"

"Hardly." I spoke with contempt. "Father worries, and . . . well, there's something that threatens more than just my life on this trip. It jeopardizes the tentative peace between three of the major ninja villages, including your leaf. Which is why they wanted you along."

"That being?" he was interested now, staring at me with that beautiful eye of his. But I looked away, unable to allow it to distract my resolve.

"I'm not allowed to say. The less that know, the safer it is."

"True." you could tell he was slightly miffed, but thoughtful. The sun warmed my skin pleasantly while we walked. I wasn't so soft that this little jaunt would hurt my legs or feet.

"Lady Jowen?" he suddenly spoke after a long moment of silence, and my thoughts had drifted elsewhere, as I started into the sky. I blinked, shocked, and brought myself down to earth.

"It's Jo. And yes?" I responded without thinking.

"Sorry, Jo. Why are you doing this? What makes you want to be . . ."

"Unladylike?" I asked, raising my eyebrow slightly, irony coating my tone.

"I was looking for a less provocative term, but if that's what you want to call it. . ."

"Yes. Well, I . . . ever since I was young, I found myself forced into a lifestyle that didn't feel right. So I asked my father to teach me to read, and then studied the scrolls in his library. Most of them were of history, and all of them had fighting. Some were scrolls of how to train students, exercises, documentation of certain moves or stances in fighting. Quite honestly, I fell in love. I began to train in secret, but I soon learned that I was being watched all the time. My guard followed me around, and when they saw me start to train, they did nothing to stop me. I only found this out, when I made my first mistake in my stance. Rowan corrected it, and helped me unobtrusively by tweaking my training every once in a while. He would get me access to writing that would help, got me paper to document my ideas for training. It came naturally to me, the first thing in my life I could do that felt right. One day, I watched a shinobi take to the trees to return home, and since then I started practicing up in the comfort of the boughs. Unfortunately, this proved to be my downfall." I sighed, "I loved heights, so I climbed quite high in the tree, and tried jumping to the next one. I got on perfectly of course, but I landed near a bird's nest and the creature startled me into falling while trying to protect its nest. I broke my arm, and my father found out. He took all my scrolls, banned me from his library, and left me with no other choice then to go into the city for information. Those people did not have much in the way of fighting material, but they had stories of heroes. So since then, I have only been able to train or to have any sort of freedom outside 'ladylike' things here, on outings like these, where my father is far away in the city he adores so much." Why was I telling him this? He was so easy to talk to, but came across a closed book. And yet, he could make you open up. It felt so good to get those things off my chest though, even if he was a stranger.

"I'm sorry Kakashi. How rude of me." I hastened to apologize when I thought about how much I had talked. "What about your life? Why are you a shinobi?" he shrugged in differently,

"Because I am."

"That's it?" I asked in disbelief.

"No." he responded.

"Likes, dislikes, anything you'd be willing to share?"

"I don't particularly want to tell you them. Nothing I really want to say either." by now I was desperate. He knew so much about me, I had to find something!

"Do you read?" he looked at me in surprise

"Ye-es" he responded hesitantly

"What kind of books?"

"Well, I'm sure nothing that you would be interested in." I glowered at him, stepping in front of him, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Try me." I challenged

"Well . . . if you insist." he stated, sounding amused. He reached into his back pouch and produced a small orange book.

"Make-Out Paradise?"

"Yes" he smiled, "I'm reading the sequel right now, Make-Out Violence, so you can read that for the journey. If you don't finish by then though, I'll want it back."

**...**

**Its kind of short I know but hey. Technically I'm not supposed to update according to Arramel but like I said, I have no patience :P Anyways, puh-LEASE review! Even just something like "I like it" Just something simple. ^_^ **

***Trys to persuade* I'll give you virtual cookies...!**

**Anyways. Thats all for now!**

**-Jowen & Arramel**


	4. Chapter 4

**Huzzah for people who are too impatient for their own good! Ahhaha. So yeah. I have basically been surviving on mini-me-freezies for the last few days because the meds my doc gave me for the virus and ear infection and horrible cough I am suffering isnt working... Haha. Oh well. This time I asked Arramel and she said I could put this one up ^_^ and before we go on with the story I wanna give a shout out to XxXAlways-a-DreamerXxX who has reviewed ever single chapter! Your my favorite! ^_^ Apparently there's something wrong with the review thing... Ya'll can send us a pm :P Anyways. On to the story now!**

---- Chapter 4 ----

"Uhh, okay . . ." I responded, slipping it into my pocket. What a curious man . . . I became aware that the guards were buzzing with their own conversations, and smiled. This walk felt good. I couldn't wait to stop so I could train again. It was hard to train in my room and impossible when my dad wanted a living statue to stand at his side and look pretty. Not that I did much there, but I could try.

We continued to walk in silence, though he stayed at my side. I listened to the guards chatter with a faint smile on my face. The sun warmed my skin contrary to my father's wishes that I be pale. The only thing he got in my appearance that he wanted was blond hair and blue eyes. He wanted me to be tiny, short, pale, and graceful. Instead, I almost rivalled him in height by now, and packed muscles. I was slim enough I supposed, but it was the slimness of being fit, not soft. As for graceful, well, not even my teachers could pound that into me. Sure I could walk like a lady, but I just looked silly while doing it. No, I didn't reach my father's expectations at all. Now that I was 18, he was having serious trouble finding me a marriage prospect. No man wanted a wife who was taller than him.

The only men in my life that I had met that were taller than me was Rowan, my father, and now this Kakashi. I sighed, no, marriage did not look good. I glanced over a Kakashi, to notice him reading a book that looked a lot like the one he loaned me, and chuckled a little.

It was not long before the warmth and tranquility had me under its spell. Not that I stopped paying attention to my surroundings in case enemies were lurking but, I could stop thinking. Everything that was one my mind faded away and I just enjoyed the moment, the feeling of being nothing more than Jo, warrior in training. We would stop just before sundown, so I could train while the other's relaxed and set up camp.

I readied myself when we began to slow down. We would enter the forest, and set up camp. Lady Jowen would sleep in the wooden litter she was in, and the rest of us would be set up in protective-formation around it. Jo would sleep with the rest of the guard, in the main tent around the litter. Sentries would disperse as the guards set up the tent, and I would go with them, then find a clearing to train. Rowan would oversee the set-up of camp, and make supper. Lady Jowen would receive special rations, which would be left inside the compartment in the litter so I could snack on it later.

We got to the clearing, and began to set up. Kakashi disappeared at this point, and I found myself a small clearing, then set to work. I centered myself, remembering everything I had read in father's manuscripts. A warrior must empty her mind; empty it of passion, of anger, of any emotion. She must become as thoughtless as the blade she wields, sharpen her thoughts like weapons and think only of the battle on hand. I was ready for my training.

In my mind, I saw the enemies I was to fight, so I closed my eyes and focused on them. I had memorized the terrain of the clearing the moment I had entered it, so that became the layout of my battle. Trees became my stand in enemies, so that any time I connected with the enemy, he was in front of a tree, and therefore, felt the impact of my blow reverberate through my body. That way I could judge what force I was using. I didn't fight with my full potential, because I would end up breaking my hand when I hit the tree. I learned when I was younger that the tree almost always wins.

In my mind, an enemy took a stab at me, and I weaved around him catching a branch in a lock and snapping his elbow. They were coming faster, and I 'saw' their leader issuing orders at the other side of the clearing. I stepped off one tree, and pushed off another twirling towards him. I threw my knives at enemies around the clearing, and rolled when I hit the ground, coming up right in front of the 'boss'. I twirled more knives out of their sheaths, and gripped the smaller blade between the fingers of my right hand so I could still punch. The other, I clashed with his weapon, and held it off, thrusting my dagger-fist into his ribcage with a fierce punch. My dagger got caught deep in his body, and the enemies around me were swarming in too fast for me to take the time to pull it out. I left it and defended myself from their attacks with my last dagger, lashing out at any opportunity they gave me. When they were dead, I stopped moving so fast, and opened my eyes.

Knives were embedded into the earth and trees around the clearing, not one of them having missed its mark. I had remembered the layout so perfectly, just from that one glance, and every single one of my attacks had made their mark on the surroundings. Bits of bark crumbled down from tree trunks where my fists had connected, and there were fresh cuts in every single tree. I bent down, and started collecting up my weapons.

What? I heard the swish of a knife's release from someone's hand, and whipped around tossing my own dagger into the projectile's path. It fell uselessly, and I immediately crouched, ready for the next blow. That weapon had been aimed at me. I blinked in surprise when I recognized the weapon as a kunai knife. Ninja? But where?

**...**

**So thats all for now. Just warning ya'll that Arramel only has till chapter 6 typed up. And thats an aweful short one. So maybe ya'll hit that little review button (if it works, otherwise hit the pm one ;) ) and tell her how much you love the story. Cause I havent read anything new from her for far too long! :P Anyways. I'm off. *ninja poofs away***

**- Jowen & Arramel**


	5. Chapter 5

**So another chapter is up huzzah! I noticed that I've been flying through these updates and I'm going to warn you. This is the last full chapter (no matter how short) that Arramel has actually written. I think I was just updating so much so that she'd write more for me ^_^ And you guys to now I suppose :P Ugh. I need to go see the doc again soon cause whatever she gave me for my virus/ear infection ain't working. Anyways. Another person alerted this story so thats cool. Now that my ranting is done....**

**Enjoy!**

"Very good." Kakashi's voice sounded from the bushes. "You practice well alone, and you seem to have excellent reflexes! But how would you do against a _real_ opponent?" my heart rate quickened in anticipation. None of the guard were willing to battle me anymore since I got good, because I would accidentally leave them with wounds. Rowan was the last one to fight me before the cease, earning himself a lasting scar across his ribs when he failed to block my knife, and I was too slow in pulling the blow. But a real shinobi would have no problem blocking everything I could swing at him!

"What? Our bout earlier not enough for you?" I responded, returning to collect my scattered weapons, and he came out into the clearing. The lighting was starting to fail, but I was excited. He shrugged,

"I just know its harder to train alone."

"In that case, I accept." I responded, "Thank you." I whispered quietly just as I removed the last blade with some difficulty. It had been embedded in the tree.

I turned around, in my 'ready' position. He was in the middle of the clearing reading that book of his again, glancing over at me, he closed it and just as he was putting it away, I sprung.

I had been hoping to catch him off guard, or at least with his hand in his pocket, but instead, he met my dagger with his kunai and deflected my attack easily. I leaped back from his quick counter attack, and my feet slid across the ground slightly. This time, he came at me, almost a blur with speed. Twilight had fallen, and so the light was minimal. I blocked his attack just barely, and deflected his follow up, disarming him temporarily. My elbow hit air when I tried to disable his arm, and he was suddenly behind me, kunai once again in his hand. I back-flipped, carefully avoiding his blade, locking his neck in my legs, then tensed my stomach muscles and tried to flip him forward by reversing my flip. He slammed onto his back, and I moved my legs out of the way so they would hit the ground right. I sprang on top of him, forcing the hand with the kunai to the ground until it slipped out. He easily removed both hands from my grip, and I found myself slamming into the ground on my back.

He was strong, and my arms were pinned. He crouched over me, my waist was between his knees. He clasped my wrists between his fingers on his one hand, and reached for a knife with the other. I smashed my knee into his hand when it went into his pocket, and hooked my other leg around his neck. Thank goodness for flexibility! My entire weight was balanced precariously on my shoulders, since I had to lift my body up to reach his neck. I yanked him down, his hand caught underneath his body. He released my wrists as he fell. He was still on me, but now I was a little more in control. I seemed to have lost my dagger somewhere in the fight.

At least I thought that until his legs flipped me over, so we were both face-down, but now his hand was slightly more free, and he grabbed my leg, forcing it off of him, and slipped out. I rolled, his knife burying into the ground just after I had cleared it, and then leaped up, turning to face him. He stood in the center once again, but this time, he just bowed.

"Great fight, but the camp is fully set up, and they'll worry if we don't return soon."

"I don't understand . . ." I said

"What?"

"You could have had me so many times if you used a jutsu."

"That would've defeated the purpose of the exercise. If you're ever up against a shinobi, you wouldn't stand a chance. That's why I'm here. But however, against a normal opponent, you would win. You're quite skilled." I blushed.

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from a jounin."

"How did you know?" he looked at me, a new respect dawning on his face.

"The fight. I've watched chunin, they're not so adept, or precise. You fight like someone who spent time in the ANBU Black Ops, before becoming a jounin. You also must be a teacher from the patience and restraint you showed when you fought. That showed you had experience with amateurs. I'm not going to pretend that I'm anything less." I hung my head, "I know, I need real training to be anything decent, but . . . with my father, there's no chance." I ached with longing. If I could become a shinobi . . . perhaps my father would be proud of me. But as far as I knew, you had to been born in one of the villages to do that, and you needed to be able to preform ninja arts. Besides, I was a little old for it. Didn't they start training as children?

"Perceptive . . ." he responded, "But we really must get back."

"Yeah." I turned quickly, so he wouldn't see the tears that had begun to roll down my face. I walked towards the forest, taking shelter in the darkness of the trees, so that I could cry freely. I heard him collecting his knives behind me, and I kept walking. The brush scratched at my pants as I trudged through, but I reached the clearing unharmed. While still in the cover of the leaves, I wiped my tears away, and tried to compose myself.

...

**So I uploaded this from a different computer then my laptop so ya'll will just have to live with the mistakes (if there are any) and maaaaaybe review telling me where they are ;) **

**So for now thats all till I can get Arramel to get her butt in gear and write more. I keep trying but she's lazy -.-'**

**Ahhahaha. Not really. I guess she's just busy. Oh wells. I'm off to try to cajol (is that actually a word?) her into writting ^_^**

**- Jowen & Arramel**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I was going to upload this yesterday... well the day before I suppose cause it is after 12... :P But my younger sib was on the net and since we have *shudders* Dial up, two of us cant be on at once. Ugh. Anyways. On with the story! Huzzah! (Dont ask. I dont even know, I blame the lack of sleep...)**

**From now on I'm not even gonna bother with disclaimers... I tend to forget them anyways. So until further notice: I DONT OWN NARUTO...! Just Jowen... And thats me and Arramel that own her... back off. Or like I said before I'll eat you. ^.\\ -- Its Kakashi! ... again. Dont ask...**

---- Chapter 6 ----

Fires surrounded the main tent, with the guards gathered around them in their circles. I passed these people, smiling at them and answering their greetings. Food aromas floated off the main tent, and I slipped inside to find this area empty of everyone except Rowan. He smiled at me.

"Jo, we made stew tonight. Kyliee and Phey caught some rabbit, and there's bread over there as well. Eat up ok?"

"Thank you Rowan. I think I'm going to retire in the 'hut' tonight for a little bit okay? I'll join the rest of you when I'm ready to sleep." I looked up at him, and he smiled slightly.

"Alright Jo, just remember, if you want to stay there the whole night, you have to change."

"Yes, thank you." I smiled back, and got myself a bowl of soup and some bread, and then slipped into the wooden litter that had been set down in the center. I lit a small lamp to illuminate the area, and sat down on the 'bench' that had been outfitted with things to help the Lord's daughter to sleep comfortably. It was padded slightly, and had a light blanket along with a down pillow waiting on it.

I began to eat munching on the seasoned stew, dipping my bread into it in order to scoop up more and make the slightly dried bread taste better. In the flickering lamplight, I glanced down at my now-empty bowl, and remembered the book Kakashi had loaned me. I got it out and felt a thrill of excitement run through me as I caressed the cover.

A new book, a new tale. Something completely unexpected. What would it be? Would it be tales of heroes? Or ancient shinobi battles? What would I find behind these covers, on these pages? I sat for a moment, savoring the expectation of the unknown, and then opened the pages, and began to read.

Whatever I expected, it wasn't this. Within the first chapter, I had experienced kissing, fighting, and sex. I blinked a little, and realized I was blushing. Still, I found myself oddly drawn to read more. As a sheltered Lady, I didn't hear much about these things, and the brash words within these pages were almost refreshing. Of course, if my father ever got wind of me reading anything like this he would consider it more scandalous than looking at old battle documentations. At least those things were dry and boring and made me want to fall asleep or do something spontaneous and wild just to escape the dryness of it! This was . . . exhilarating. The forbidden feeling to the words added to my excitement and enjoyment of them, and I eagerly bent into read more. I got halfway through the 3rd Chapter before I felt my eyes grow heavy and I was wrestling with myself just to make out the words. With a regretful sigh, I memorized the page number, and closed the book.

My heart still pounded with excitement from the action within the story. The scrolls made fighting seem dull, and everything I had heard of romance made it sound like a fools errand, and completely pointless in every way. This book . . . was unbelievable. It treated love like a whim, romance like an accident, and battle like something that got people's blood boiling so hot they simply _had_ to jump the nearest person they saw. Ironically, I enjoyed every syllable of the thing. I clutched it briefly to my chest and allowed my head to whirl with the story, making sketchy predictions or imagining scenes I wanted to happen or would have done differently. I sketched myself into the world as one of the characters for a small, but glorious moment before sighing once again and knocking the foolish notions out of my head.

I tucked the book into a my travel-pouch, and blew out the lantern. Trying not to make any noise to wake the sleeping guard, I snuck out of the litter, chuckling quietly at the fact I managed to munch away the 'softer' foods set aside for Lady Jowen in my reading fervor. Just as quietly, I slipped into my bedroll, and closed my tired eyes.

I never could get to sleep right away, so I lay there, listening to the gentle breathing of the guard around me, and felt content. My heart was just calming down, but my cheeks still felt warm from blushing so furiously throughout the book. Such tales, it made me wonder. That Kakashi fellow had to be a pretty interesting guy to enjoy a book like that! Especially since he read what seemed to be the sequel to it almost constantly. The book must've had more of an effect on my wearing mind than I had anticipated, for my parting thoughts before I slipped into the quiet embrace of sleep were of a smiling silver eye, and the pressure of someone holding me close to them.

**...**

**Is it just me or are these chapters awefully short? Oh well. This is the last one that Arramel actually has written so its time I work my magic and ask *force* Arramel to write more! Just kidding about the forcing... Well maybe not.... I mean.... uh.... Yeah.... Review! I'm off to bed now cause I gotta work in the morning *grumbles* Stupid chickens that keep laying stupid eggs... Later!**

**-Jowen & Arramel**


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